Sealing device for newspapers and the like.



F. H. BEALS. SEALING DEVICE FOR NEWSPAPERS AND THE LIKE. APPLICATION mum MAY 21, 1909.

965,362. Patented July 26, 1910.

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FRANK I-I. BEALS, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS. ASSIGNOR TO THE UNITED STATES SEALING COMPANY, OF SPRINGFIELD, SACI-IUSETTS.

MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MAS-- SEALING DEVICE FOR NEWSPAPERS AND THE LIKE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK H; BEALS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Vorcester, in the county of lVorcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Sealing Device for Newspapers and the Like, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the sealing of newspapers, envelops, packages, and the like so that they cannot be opened and that unscrupulous persons cannot return papers to the publishers which have been sold or read for the purpose of securing a rebate thereon. This difliculty is one which is of extreme importance in the newspaper business and a number of attempts have been made to provide some means whereby this practice cannot be followed.

One object of this invention is absolutely to prevent the return of papers which have been sold and opened and therefore to provide means whereby the opening of. a paper will cause a mutilation of such a character that it cannot again be restored to its original condition. For the purpose of accomplishing this result the leaves of the paper or a plurality of the leaves, preferably all of them are stitched through with a thread and the free end of the thread is left projecting, then a tag is applied over the stitching so that in opening the paper either by pulling the leaves apart or by pulling on the thread the tag will be mutilated or destroyed. The same principle can be applied to packages, envelops, etc.

The invention also involves additional features as will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 is a portion of a plan of the outside of a newspaper showing a preferred embodiment of the invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is an end view of the same showing the tag in the act of being applied, Fig. 3 is a plan of an envelop with the invention applied thereto; and Fig. 4 is an edge view thereof.

For the above mentioned purposes, several or all of the sheets of the newspaper 9 or other periodical or the back and front of an envelop or package to which the invention is applied are sewed through with a single stitching 10 preferably arranged in a Specificationof Letters Patent. Application filed'M-ay 27, 1909.

. straight line.

Patented July 26, 1910.

Serial No. 498,782. am

The end 11 of the thread preferably is left free and projecting from the front face of the article. When this is done, a tag 12 of sheet material is pasted down over the stitching so that it adheres to the outer page of the paper or the like and to the stitching itself which projects through the same. This tag preferably is printed or stamped with the date of the paper, or with a name or any distinguishing data or ornamentation. The tag, as will readily be understood, can be made of a particular form, engraving, or design on the face as is well understood in the manufacture of checks, bank notes and the like so that it cannot easily be imitated. This is to prevent the substitution of spurious tags for those which have been removed. It will be understood that a seal of this kind preferably is located near the outer edge of the paper so that it will be impossible for a reader to get at the inside of the paper without tearing the paper all around the seal or at least Inutilating the seal itself and removing the stitching. The ordinary way of unsealing the paper is to grasp the end of the thread and pull the same backward through the tag 12 thus cutting the tag in two and removing the stitching from the leaves. This can be done very readily with single thread stitching. If the leaves are torn apart in any other way they will be so thoroughly mutilated that they could not possibly be returned as unsold papers.

Figs. 3 and t show the invention as applied in another way. In this case an envelop 20 is made long enough so that the contents can be held in it with the end projecting from the same. This end is then doubled over and the stitching 21 applied in the same manner as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2, or if desired, it can be extended clear across the end of the envelop, as indicated in F ig. 3. This stitching preferably is made with a single thread, as above indicated, so that when the end 22 thereof is pulled the stitches will give way readily and thus break through the tag 24 which is applied to the outer surface and preferably directly on the stitches and envelop alike. This form of the invention is of particular value for use in oflices where a large number of envelops or packages of a similar nature are sealed, so to permit the use of the distinguishmg tag 2 L which will show what office the package comes from and also preferably the date and such other data as may be desired. These tags can be made with other distinguishing characteristics, as indicated above. The package or envelop can be sealed in the ordinary way in addition to this seal.

While I have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of the invention I am aware that many modifications can be made in'the same Without departing from the scope of the invention as expressed in the claims. Therefore, I do not wish to be lim ited to all the details shown and described, but

What I do claim is 1. A seal for newspapers and the like, comprising a tag adhering to an outside page thereof, and a thread sewed through a plurality of leaves under said tag whereby none of said pages can be opened from another without mutilating the tag or leaves.

2. A seal for newspapers and the like, comprising a thread stitched through a plurality of leaves thereof, a. tag pasted or secured on the outside page over said thread, the free end of the thread projecting from the end of said tag, whereby the thread can be pulled to free the leaves of the paper from each other and simultaneously mutilate the tag.

3. A seal for newspapers and the like, comprising a thread stitched through all the pages thereof for a certain distance and having a free end projecting from the out side sheet of the newspaper, and a tag secured on the outside of the newspaper over said stitching and having the date stamped or printed thereon.

4. A seal for papers, envelops, packages, and the like comprising a stitching extending through the article to be sealed, and a tag secured over and to the stitching on one side of the article.

5. The combination with an article to be sealed, of a seal therefor comprising single thread stitching extending through the article and having a projecting end which can be pulled to unravel the stitching and a tag secured to the outer surface of the article over the stitching.

6. A seal for newspapers, and the like, comprising a tag adhering thereto, and means located under said tag and extending through all of the leaves or sheets for fixedly securing them together, whereby said securing means is covered by the tag.

7. A seal for newspapers, envelops, packages, and the like comprising a tag on the outside thereof, and means for securing the tag and all of the leaves together, comprising stitching extending through the leaves thereof, and in contact with the tag.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRANK H. BEALS. Witnesses:

A. E. FAY, C. FORREST WESSON. 

